Wooden Bat or Metal Bat - Essay Example

Your full April 4, Compare and Contrast Essay Using a wooden bat or a metal one has always been a controversial issue for baseball players. Wooden versus metal bat debate is not new for baseball fans who love to discuss what kind of bat is suitable for a bigger hit. This paper compares and contrasts the two types of bats. Wooden bats are heavier than metal because they are solid. Metal bats are hollow from within. Wooden bats require more effort to sway than metal oness. They also have a smaller sweet spot (Zumerchik 52) due to which the hit remains within range.

Metal bats are lighter because of larger sweet spot which makes the hit swing higher. Wooden bats are safer than metal because the exit speed of the ball from a wooden bat is much slower. Thus, the ball comes off with slow speed, which is good, for it reduces the danger of injury if another player or pitcher hits the ball. Metal bats, as they are lighter, can easily get tossed away to injure another player. A wooden bat, due to its solid mass, does not compress when the ball hits it. But when the ball hits a metal bat, it causes the latter to compress which has a negative effect on the exit speed of the ball, though the exit speed is enhanced by the center of gravity being placed near the handle.

In wooden bats, there is no issue of compression. To conclude, wooden bats are heavier, safer, and are affordable in price. Metal counterparts provide larger hit zone, are lighter and easy to handle. Major League Baseball makes the players use wooden bats due to their certain advantages over metal equivalents. Works Cited Zumerchik, John. “Aluminum versus Wooden Bats.” Encyclopedia of Sports Science, Volume 1. USA: Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1997.